What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Viago, Deacon and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

Directors:

Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

Writers:

Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

Stars:

Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer

26 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jemaine Clement	...	Vladislav
Taika Waititi	...	Viago
Jonny Brugh	...	Deacon (as Jonathan Brugh)
Cori Gonzalez-Macuer	...	Nick
Stu Rutherford	...	Stu
Ben Fransham	...	Petyr
Jackie van Beek	...	Jackie (as Jackie Van Beek)
Elena Stejko	...	Pauline (The Beast)
Jason Hoyte	...	Julian
Karen O'Leary	...	Policewoman
Mike Minogue	...	Policeman
Chelsie Preston Crayford	...	Josephine (as Chelsie Preston-Crayford)
Ian Harcourt	...	Zombie
Ethel Robinson	...	Katherine
Brad Harding	...	Vampire Hunter

Storyline

Follow the lives of Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) - three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life's obstacles-like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. Hundreds of years old, the vampires are finding that beyond sunlight catastrophes, hitting the main artery, and not being able to get a sense of their wardrobe without a reflection-modern society has them struggling with the mundane like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | mockumentary | zombie | werewolf transformation | werewolf pack | 

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Taglines:

Some interviews with some vampires.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The building used for the exterior shots of the vampires' house used to be Peter Jackson's office.

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Goofs

During the trial of Nick when Vladislav (Clements) is talking to Viago (Waititi), you can see Vlad break character and smile. He quickly goes back to a straight face.

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Quotes

Viago: I really hope that those guys don't kill those police, because it will mean more police will come. Possibly even Christians, which is totally the last thing we need in this house.

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Crazy Credits

There is a brief "hypnotic" session at the very end of the credits.

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Connections

Referenced in iZombie: Brainless in Seattle, Part 1 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Sex Meat
Performed by Lawrence Arabia

User Reviews

Outstanding, The Office meets The Flying Conchords

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

This is not a Vampire Movie, this is a mockumentary about some flatmates who happen to be vampires, just, y'know, incidentally.

It is laugh-out-loud (LOL, young people) funny for extended periods. There is a lot of under-stated humour, but it has the feel of Peter Jackson's Bad Taste, made on weekends over an extended period - "what can we do in this scene to make it even funnier?"

Being from NZ, I feel unsure whether I am on the the inside of an in-joke (the police officers, for example) but plenty of people seemed to get the Conchords, so who knows, really.

If you "get" The Office and you "get" The Conchords, you'll love it.

For true.

Bro.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English German Spanish Latin

Release Date:

19 June 2014 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

What We Do in the Shadows

Filming Locations:

Wellington, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$1,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$88,940, 15 February 2015

Gross USA:

$3,469,224

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,946,808

Company Credits

Production Co:

Unison Films, Defender Films, Funny or Die

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Spanish dubbing mix)

Color:

Color Black and White (reenactment)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1